University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

All the students are friendly and helpful. I think a non-social student may feel out of place because everyone is so social. but then again because everyone is so social the student might feel more included with everyone. students wear anything they want. board shorts, tank tops. sweats anything goes.

Being here for over a year, I have seen a surprisingly large variety of students. I've seen the standard beach bum with the surfboard in hand, but I've also seen the organic student who doesn't wear shoes, and the Armenian student who started her own non-profit. While there is a huge variety of demographics, the overall flavor seems to be Southern California. The warm, beachy environment attracts the tan surfers and swimmers from all over California. But the students from Southern California tend to bring their love of Dubstep and Mexican food. It can be sometimes difficult for someone from Northern California like me, who didn't expect much of anything to change, to adjust to the lack of fall-colored leaves and air you can see your breath in, but it's definitely doable. Fact is, students are students. They all have different personalities, interests, and beliefs. Chances are, if you go out of your way to meet people, you will meet A LOT of different people, in every way of the word.

Although I see and meet a wide variety of students at UCSB in terms of religion, ethnicity, social background, economic status, or sexual identity, I can't help but realize that it is truly the least diverse UC campus. The student body is over 55{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} white, and I notice it. However, the Student-Resource Building provides organizations for minorities who feel marginalized or underrepresented.

For being a UC, our campus has a large percentage of Caucasion students unlike most UC's with a majority of Asian students. There is still a variety of ethnicites on campus. Religion does not seem to be as big on campus, but there is a group called high life that you can attend for youth group. I go to a local church and am picked up by an older couple every Sunday morning, so if you are religious and want to go to church, you can find a way. There is a diverse group of people so I don't think that any kind of student will feel out of place. We have the beach bums, the party people, the nerds playing video games, etc so everyone has a place at UCSB. Most of the students are from the Bay Area or the San Diego area. There are some people from out of state and some from out of the country. Most people at this school receive financial aid. The people that don't receive financial aid (like me) come from a middle class background. Unfortunately, this school is expensive and it basically takes all the money away from our parents, but the education is worth the expense. There are many politically active students. I am not one of them, but there are protestors around campus frequently and people trying to get petitions signed.

The UCSB campus is very diverse. There are many environmentally conscious students that enjoy surfing, hikes, and outdoor activities. There are all sorts of ethnic clubs to join as well as a strong LGBTQ community. For the most part, people are friendly and welcoming. Gauchos work hard so they can play harder!

Overall, I hear this campus has one of the wider varieties of ethnic, social, and financial backgrounds of most of the school's my friends attend. It's a fact that we do have the widest range of financial backgrounds, but as far as ethnic and social backgrounds the most visible student population appears to be upper-white middle class. We do however have many racial, religious, and social groups on campus ranging from an active LGBT association to Hermanos Unidos. The student attitude tends to be very laid back, many students surf, and when the weather perks up in spring and summer many students like to study outside either on the beach while they work on their tans. I don't think there are really any types of students that wouldn't fit it at UCSB unless they are highly introverted and prefer to keep to themselves. This isn't a criticism, but rather a comment on the fact that UCSB is a highly social community (and can often get quite loud and crazy on the weekends). I myself was relatively quiet when I arrived at this school, but learned quickly in the first weeks of freshman year that everyone is in the same position and just trying to meet new people, and I met many of my current closest friends by simply walking up to the table they were eating at and introducing myself. While we do have more than our fair share of drunken inconsiderate bro's, the greater majority of the students I've encountered here are friendly, laid back, and easy to get along with.

Diversity of the student body at UCSB is what makes it great. They all have mutual respect for one another and are accepting. I have met people that identify with the LGBT movement, Environmentalists, Feminists, as well as other causes. They have enriched and broadened my understanding about the different types of people that exist. I am grateful to them, because without exposure to diversity it would have been harder for me to grow to see beyond myself and my preconceived worldview. Politically speaking, the campus is definitely more on the Left but there are student organizations like the College Republicans. There are so many student organizations that have different, worthy causes that it is impossible to list them all, but for the eager student, there are many opportunities to get involved.

My classmates are unique and totally different from each other, yet they come together in an interesting mix that makes the school just come alive.

At UCSB, 55{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population is Caucasian. It is also 55{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} female and 45{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} male. Most students at this university came from families on the wealthier side of the scale. Although the campus administration is committed to diversity, I noticed that many different races tended to interact mostly within their own groups. For example, black people hung out with black people, LGBT hung out with LGBT, etc. But the great thing about UCSB is that there's a club for pretty much anything, so there are groups that students of a minority can join if it better serves their needs. With that, I don't think there's any student who wouldn't feel welcome on this campus. The students are friendly and inviting, and a prospective student can sift through the over 300 organizations to find something that suits their needs and interests.

My classmates, at first glance, all seem vapid and shallow, only wanting to go out and party; but the reality is that underneath this party attitude are very capable students who, in general, are following their dreams and aspirations to accomplish great things in the world.